Light treatment of patients for various conditions is becoming well known. Light treatment of injuries such as sport injuries, sprains and the like, light treatment of chronic conditions such as arthritis, sciatica and various related conditions, and light treatment of chronic slow healing wounds or sores, are all well known.
The principle of all these light treatments is the application of low intensity light radiating in the area of the patient's condition. It is found that in order to be effective, the light source should be close in contact with the skin. The light source is usually an array or panel of low intensity light emitting diodes, or in some cases low level laser. It is also found that the treatment becomes more effective over longer periods. The light sources are usually left in contact with the skin for thirty to sixty minutes in many cases. This ensures deep penetration of the light rays into the tissues, and produces the healing results experienced.
It is of course obvious that the light sources will develop heat. During the course of one application or treatment the heat developed by the light sources may become too great, and produces patient discomfort. It is then necessary to discontinue treatment for a moment, and exchange the one light treatment head with another, so that the treatment can continue. As a result of this light treatment in the past has been expensive. The need for providing multiple treatment heads for the treatment of each patient, significantly adds to the initial investment required to set up a clinic providing the treatment. Also, it is necessary to have paramedical or nursing assistants inspecting the various treatment stations regularly, to ensure that the patients are not suffering any discomfort from the treatment, and to change the treatment head before the patient suffers discomfort. This too adds to the cost of the treatment and the operation of the clinic. Clearly it is desirable to provide a light treatment head for this type of treatment which is capable of dissipating at least some of the heat generated by the light sources, and treatment heads also that are of such a design that they can be manufactured at a more reasonable cost.
Another factor in the design of such treatment head is that the treatment is preferably applied over a fairly large area of the body. Light treatment heads usually measure about four inches by ten inches, but could be even bigger if a suitable design was available. In order to provide a light treatment head of this large footprint, it is desirable to make the treatment head flexible. This ensures that the light sources in the light treatment head can all lie in contact with the skin, with the light treatment head flexing and conforming to the shape of the body.